Continuing the Colombia Story

The Colombia Collection, Part D

Arriving in Cali

It's been more than a month since I got back from Colombia. I arrived in Cali on the thirteenth of June, and my first impressions were amazing. I was so excited to be there after 21 years.

So many people had told me the city was ugly. That's a matter of perspective and focus. You will find whatever you ARE looking for, and that was my premise. My happy emotions were leading the way.

Through all the days I spent there, I was amazed by how much nature was everywhere: trees and plants growing along every road, up the mountains, along the edges of the city, and everywhere I went. Colombia's location gives it that tropical abundance, and with that abundance of plants comes so much variety, all of it beautiful. You'll see a modern building right next to an old house. A beautifully kept home beside one falling apart. Mess next to order. So much contrast, and still, somehow, so full of life…beautiful!

I found, with all of this, so much warmth in people. I reconnected with family and friends. We discovered who we had become throughout all this time. Seeing people I hadn't seen in 21 years, getting to know them again, having authentic, warm, and generous conversations that made my heart feel happy and grounded. All of that with the food, hmmmm! It reminded me that people there carry something special. They're seem more ready to enjoy whatever each day brings.

I'm missing that today, and feeling for the people there. Last week, Cali and other cities were hit by a horrible earthquake, nothing like it in my life, even having lived through many earthquakes there myself. I'm missing these people now, and feeling for them as they move through this new challenge. more contrast, more destruction, brought to this area and to the people living through all of it. Maybe, to keep the north through all of this, it's an opportunity to rebuild much better what already has fantastic roots.

I realize I didn't take as many pictures of the city, or even of the people I spent time with. I guess I was so immersed and present that reaching for my phone felt disruptive and not what I desired.

Being in an area where I grew up and lived most of my life as a younger woman was very interesting, because now I was seeing and experiencing it with new eyes, as a different person. Maybe wiser, and of course, older and with a more positive approach to life. I loved the sensory part of being in Colombia: listening to music, eating fruit, and all the different Colombian plates and flavors you can't get here. I experienced people who have also evolved and grown in their own lives. The city itself is beautiful with all its contrast.

Above Cristo Rey

One evening, we went out from the city, toward the mountains beyond Cristo Rey, one iconic place in the mountains surrounding Cali. It was amazing. Surprisingly, it ended up being very close to a place where my sister once had a home, with the most outrageous, amazing view of the whole Cauca Valley and the city below. This spot was just a few meters from that house she used to spend wonderful times at, and I was so happily surprised to end up there again. I took several pictures of the beauty from that place, and watched the hummingbirds come to quench their thirst with sweet water. What a wonderful evening!

Bogotá and La Vega

Then I went to Bogotá, to visit my sister. This part of the trip was a lot more tamed down, because the reason I was there was simply to be with her and her family. I hadn't seen her in three years, and I was so happy and excited to spend a few days together. It's always wonderful to visit her, wherever she lives, because her homes are gorgeous to me. I love how she decorates them and makes them feel like a home filled with art. It never feels like a gallery; it's comfortable and warm. Plus, getting to be with her and catch up was amazing.

During those days, we went down to her mother-in-law's farm near a town called La Vega. Again, I had the experience of nature. I opened the window of the car to smell the mountains. Such unique, fresh smell. I had longed for that for many years. The view from the farm was mesmerizing. Located in between the mountains, full of flowers and fruit trees. That topped my trip with such happiness. I know I don't see that here in the States, not because it isn't beautiful here, but because it's different and makes my heart felt light!